Canterbury United Council to form

Press, 19 April 1979, Page 1

Canterbury United Council to form

The new Canterbury United Council will be formed within the next few months, and the present Canterbury Regional Planning Authority will be merged into it early next year. The Local Government Commission’s final scheme for the Canterbury region was received by local bodies this week. It contained no surprise.

Aside from regional planning, the 26-member United Council will be in charge of co-ordinating Civil Defence activities and will administer the Summit Road Protection Act.

The Christchurch City Council will nominate five members to the new body, Waimairi County will have three members, Paparua County will have two, and all other territorial authorities will have one each.

Administration of the United Council will be done by the Christchurch City Council, but policy matters will be decided only by the united group. Cr Mollie Clark told the

Christchurch City Council’s policy and finance committee yesterday that the scheme had been “greeted with a great big yawn by members of the public” ' since it. did not seem to do much towards real reform.

United councillors would supposedly be independent in their regional planning, but she said too many members of the present Regional Planning Authority “don’t leave their other hat at home,” and make decisions on the basis of what is best for their own local bodies. Cr Vicki Buck said that she wondered whether the new council would be a substitute for future amalgamation, or a prelude to it. “From the public point of view, it may seem to be confusing an already confused situation,” said the Mayor of Christchurch (Mr H. G. Hay). The Town Clerk (Mr J. H. Gray) said that it was a broader concept than just a Regional Planning Authority under a different name. It could herald

a new grouping of central Government functions under similar regions. The City Council will invite Heathcote County* Mount Herbert County, and Lyttelton Borough to consult the city in a discussion of possible mergers.

Mr Hay said that the Heathcote County Council had done a service if it had done nothing more than have the Local Government Commission come and examine the over-all implications of such mergers. Christchurch councillors still favour the concept of one local body covering the metropolitan urban area. Surrounding local bodies are just as set against that idea.

“We should at least extend the invitation,” Mr Hay said. “It remains to be seen what the response will be.” The Local Government Commission will also be told about the present talk of mergers. United Council’s boundaries (with map) and other details, Page 3.